Holey Rollers opens a brick-and-mortar location in The Paseo Plunge

Susan Ebert and Andrea Koester work behind the counter of Holey Rollers on the first floor of The Paseo Plunge.

When she was 12 years old, Andrea Koester dreamed of opening a restaurant. Her dream came to fruition in early November with the opening of Holey Rollers in The Paseo Plunge, 3010 Paseo Street.

Admittedly, the journey from food truck to brick-and-mortar location has come faster than expected for Koester, but she compliments the many fans who have fallen in love with Holey Rollers decadent vegan pastries and diversified coffee selection.

The restaurant is located on the bottom floor of The Paseo Plunge, and customers stroll in to find an interior with a warm wood finish paired with bright pastels.

We wanted to play on the vintage vibe of the food truck and keep it modern, Koester said of the decor. At this point, its our brand, and we want this space to be an homage to doughnut shops of the 50s.

Between about 400 square feet in its main retail space and just under 400 square feet in the kitchen, Koester said Holey Rollers brick-and-mortar iteration is more than she could want.

Coming from a food truck, this is big to me, she said. Small spaces are trendy right now, and using every bit of square footage that you can, having low overhead, just makes sense.

Food truck maven

Koester first got experience running a food truck as a catering manager for Big Truck Tacos when it opened. Big Truck Tacos opened its 23rd Street location the same time as its food truck launched in 2009.

They did it a little bit different than us, but its great to see how well a food truck can complement a restaurant like Big Truck because they definitely do it right, Koester said.

Koester and fellow Big Truck alum Anna Johnson established Holey Rollers as a business in late 2015 by selling its vegan pastries to shops in Oklahoma City and Norman. They bought a vintage 1962 Zipper trailer from a couple in El Reno and debuted their mobile business in April 2016, focusing on events and farmers markets.

Johnson has left Holey Rollers to purse other opportunities but leaves behind the pun of a name and a few original recipes. Josh Gautreaux and John Otjen now join Koester as business partners.

The rest of Holey Rollers menu was devised by chef Timothy Mort, whom Koester met while helping with Urban Agrarian, a seasonal farm-to-table provider in the Farmers Market District.

Photo Jacob Threadgill

The new location brings fried doughnuts like from right the vanilla bean yeast doughnut and salted chocolate caramel doughnut to the Paseo.

Tasty additions

The menu has expanded since Holey Rollers moved into the Paseo, now featuring non-vegan items like breakfast sandwiches with vegan English muffins and local, farm-fresh eggs from Shawnee. It also added yogurt, overnight oats and granola to its array of fried and baked doughnuts.

The apple cider doughnut covered in cinnamon and sugar has become Holey Rollers signature baked treat, but Koester said the vanilla lavender is quickly gaining ground. The store features a handful of fixed doughnut options in addition to a seasonal flavor and a fritter. A vanilla bean raised yeast is Holey Rollers take on the traditional glazed doughnut, but it doesnt melt away like cotton candy.

We traveled the country, and the best yeast doughnuts were always one with a little bite to them, Koester said.

Fried doughnuts are a new addition in the Paseo location  they werent able to make them in the confined space of the trailer. Koester said they are using canola oil to keep it vegan but would like to transition to coconut oil if its price comes down.

Holey Rollers features coffee from three local providers  KLLR Coffee, Elemental Coffee Roasters and Eôté Coffee Company  each with a specific duty: cold brew, pour-over or latte.

Were open seven days a week because I want to be a coffee shop for the Paseo, Koester said. I feel strong that coffee shops should be open all the time, especially on Mondays, when you need it the most.

Koester said she was attracted to the Paseo district because she lived in the neighborhood previously and was encouraged by new development, including the Pueblo shopping center and a Mexican restaurant that will break ground in early 2018.

Charles Martin, The Paseo Plunges manager who operates Literati Press in the 28,000-sqaure-foot building, welcomes the addition of Holey Rollers to the Paseo neighborhood.

Holey Rollers shares a common area with The Plunges bookstore. Martin said the doughnut shop has ushered new clientele into the buildings art gallery.

Weve been anxious for Holey Rollers to open for quite some time, Martin said. Coffee, doughnuts and books blend naturally to create a casual, no-pressure experience. The crowds have responded too with increased traffic coming into our shop, lingering with the art, little kids sitting in front of the shelves and reading title after title. The atmosphere is what wed always hoped to develop in The Plunge, and its exciting to see it taking form.

During the winter, the Holey Rollers trailer will mostly focus on private event bookings and a few monthly street festivals like First Friday Art Walk in the Paseo and 2nd Friday Norman Art Walk. Koester said the Holey Rollers trailer will be back in full-swing by spring.